By the Labour Assembly Against Austerity and Arise – a Festival of Left Ideas.

Friday July 17th 2026 marks one year on from Diane Abbott being suspended from the Labour Party, under Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Reflecting on this anniversary, numerous figures across Britain’s labour and progressive movements have called for Diane Abbott’s return, and a grassroots petition calling for her to be reinstated has reached over 33,000 signatures, with organisers hoping to reach the landmark figure of 35,000 in the next week.

Commenting on the issue, John McDonnell MP said:“Andy Burnham says he aims to change the culture of the Labour Party and return the party to a broad church – a pluralist party where people’s views are respected. A first step would be to restore the Labour whip to Diane Abbott.”

Apsana Begum MP added: “All Black and Minority ethnic women MPs owe a debt of gratitude to Diane. It is thanks to her breaking down barriers decades ago that we too were able to take our places. Her decades of work battling racism and division speaks for itself.

“I am proud to stand with her, as she has always stood with me, against the unjust attacks she continues to face.”

Another Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, said, “Diane Abbott is a giant of the labour movement, serving her community for almost four decades. Throughout her time, she has faced appalling treatment, abuse and harassment, including by people within our own party.

“I hope that a new leadership will seize the opportunity to reset its relationship with Diane and restore the whip to her.”

Fellow MP Richard Burgon added, “Diane Abbott is a pioneer who has fought against oppression and racism all her life. The whip should be restored to Diane. That’s the right thing to do.”

Maryam Eslamdoust, General Secretary of the Labour-affiliated TSSA union, added, “Diane Abbott has been a trailblazer in British politics, and today marks an opportunity to look ahead. New leadership means a new chapter, one where we can focus on rebuilding trust, strengthening our movement and delivering for all communities across the country. That can start by unsuspending Diane.”

Fellow trade union leader BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley said: “One year on, Diane Abbott remains suspended, and serious questions still need answering about why this process has been allowed to drag on for so long. Whatever people’s views on the circumstances, natural justice demands fairness, transparency and timely decisions.

“Diane Abbott has dedicated decades of her life to public service, breaking barriers as Britain’s first Black woman Member of Parliament and inspiring generations of women and Black activists. No one should be left in limbo indefinitely. It is time for this matter to be brought to a fair and proper conclusion.”

Sabby Dhalu, co-convenor of Stand up to Racism, commented: “Diane Abbott has been a tireless champion in the fight against racism and an immense asset to the Labour Party. She is a powerful and respected voice in Hackney and across Britain’s Black community.

“Labour should restore Diane Abbott to full membership – not only because it is the right thing to do, but because sidelining one of its most influential figures risks alienating the very communities that have long been at the heart of the party. Without her, Labour could put Hackney at risk at the next general election.”

Myriam Kane of the Black Liberation Alliance argued that: “The failed Starmer leadership will be defined for Black communities by the contempt with which it treated Diane Abbott, the longest serving Black MP, who will be remembered in the history books long after Starmer is forgotten.

“The incoming Labour leader Andy Burnham must restore trust by opposing racism and restoring full membership to Diane Abbott.”

Labour NEC member Jess Barnard, speaking in a personal capacity, said: “The treatment of Diane Abbott has been a shameful period for our party. If Andy Burnham is serious about returning to a pluralist party with Labour values at its heart, then the whip must be restored to Diane Abbott and an apology issued for the treatment she has faced.”

Her NEC colleague Gemma Bolton added: “If Labour is serious about changing its internal culture and becoming a broad church, then restoring the whip to Diane Abbott would be a great first step in that direction.”

Speaking on behalf of the petition organisers, Matt Willgress said: “We will keep speaking up for Diane Abbott to be reinstated and stand with Diane in all her campaigning for equality, social justice and peace.”

Sign the petition here.

 Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diane_Abbot_MP,_Labour_Party_UK.jpg. Author: Sophie Brown, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.